Tusla says its new Child Protection Strategy will ensure children and families are included in decisions about their future.

The child and family agency launched the Signs of Safety strategy today which aims to provide greater consistency in the way staff approach cases.

It says it marks a fundamental change in the way the agency deals with child protection matters to ensure mistakes of the past aren't repeated

Underpinning the signs of safety strategy is the idea that there should be consistency in the way that cases are handled throughout the country and that families and children should be involved in decisions about their care and future.

Thosands of staff are being trained to ensure this consistency and a recruitment drive is also underway - they're also addressing the retention issue by ensuring social workers are in out in the field and not desk bound.

The new strategy is part of the organisation's ongoing transformation process, which aims to modernise the system and make it fit for purpose.

The entire implementation will take between 3 and 5 years - with a review every year to ensure they're on track, and most of all, to ensure it's working for the people it's supposed to help.

Nicole Gernon filed this report for our national lunchtime news: